Officials are urging residents to make sure snow piles aren’t blocking the exhaust for furnaces or heaters, which can cause

“Be very mindful as a homeowner not to get them buried by snow during snowfalls, but also with so many roofs being cleared off, dumping the snow off the roof, a lot of people may not think that the snow is just burying them, and it’s very, very important to keep them clear,” said Michael Batista, a plumbing and heating contractor in Watertown.

Batista said he’s aware of the danger because it happened at his own house after he had a roofer remove snow and ice from his roof.